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  #1   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 16:49
pcubie's Avatar
pcubie pcubie is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 85
 
Plan: atkins
Stats: 168/147/140 Female 5 feet 8 inches
BF:unknown
Progress: 75%
Location: columbia falls, montana
Default "ultra diet pep" pills

what's your feeling on taking supplements that contain ephedra/guarana and other assorted herbs while on the atkins plan?
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  #2   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 17:01
LadyBelle's Avatar
LadyBelle LadyBelle is offline
Resident Loud Mouth
Posts: 8,495
 
Plan: Retrying
Stats: 239.2/150.6/120 Female 5'2"
BF:
Progress: 74%
Location: Wyoming
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Atkins recomends not to because of the health risks. Before Atkins, the last time I lost waight was with ephedera. I treied it with Atkins when the scale wasn't going anywhere and became extreamly nausous, cranky and lethargic. I felt so nasty I stopped after a few days and had no weight loss with them.
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  #3   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 17:04
Sox Sox is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 94
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 185/136/140 Male 68
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: Madison Wisconsin
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Well atkins Accell seemed to help me a bit. I have tried the the Universal thermo stack E/C/A ephedra-free herbal supplement stuff to help me get off a stall. Didn't help at all, so don't get that brand at least. It's supposed to make you "warm" and while not making you jittery and anxious, speed up your metabolism. I've almost finished the bottle now (you have to take 6 a day! and there's 90 caps at like 25bux...) and only once (very first 2 pills) did i ever feel a slight warmth. If i was using this as a diet pill or to lets say, speed up the effects of other stimulants, they are something i would classify as being "boring".
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  #4   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 17:13
LadyBelle's Avatar
LadyBelle LadyBelle is offline
Resident Loud Mouth
Posts: 8,495
 
Plan: Retrying
Stats: 239.2/150.6/120 Female 5'2"
BF:
Progress: 74%
Location: Wyoming
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Atkins does sell Dieters Advantage for all stages, then after Induction a Accell with caffine. In his books though he incourages people to get as much whole food as possible and only take vitimin mineral substatutes.

Another bad thing about those pills is like Sox said, you have to take a ton. On Hydroxycut I think I had 9 a day. They come in bottles of 60-120 and you go through them fast, not cheap either.
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  #5   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 17:33
Hilly's Avatar
Hilly Hilly is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 70
 
Plan: general low-carb lifestyle
Stats: 170/156/140 Female 5'-9"
BF:Like butter!
Progress: 47%
Location: (Not my real picture)
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Pleeeease don't take these pills. A few years ago I went to GNC and the teenie-bopper who worked there said they'd make my hips just melt away. I took them for about a month. I noticed my heart started fluttering, like it had either skipped a few beats or jiggled wildly for a few seconds. It was frightening. Guess what--I still have heart flutters every so often, and I know it's from that ephedra.
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  #6   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 17:33
use2bthin's Avatar
use2bthin use2bthin is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 150
 
Plan: South Beach
Stats: 184/164/140 Female 65 inches
BF:35%/27.4%/?%
Progress: 45%
Location: Omaha, NE
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I took Hydroxycut after I had my baby and I lost all 50 of my pregnancy pounds. That was back when there was Ephedra in it. It was illegal in NE so I trekked to Iowa to get it (EVERYTHING is legal there.....). I stopped using it because I'd gotten to where I wanted to be. One problem....I never learned how to eat. I exercised like a frantic spaz but I got bored because I also never learned that variety was key until a year ago. By that time, it was too late because I'd stopped exercising and I ate what I wanted.
Now, Hydroxycut comes Ephedra free and you can take 1/2 of the old dose.
Also, this kind of drug does not harm you if you are in good health. There is a whole slew of warnings on the bottle so you MUST follow directions. Those who have died had pre-existing conditions (heart problems....) and some were atheletes who OD'd to increase the progress. NEVER stray from the directions IF you decide that a diet pill is for you.
I do not see a problem with taking them because I took them for just over a year, but I recommend that you get tested by your doctor to make sure that you are not at risk for anything that could cause health problems, or even death.
You shouldn't fear them because as long as you are in good health and you follow directions, you will be fine. I've done the research and I'm proof that you will still be here years later.
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  #7   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 17:47
sim0ne's Avatar
sim0ne sim0ne is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 69
 
Plan: atkins
Stats: 279/279/140 Female 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 0%
Location: los angeles
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i took ephedrine 'stackers' about a year ago - guess what, i GAINED weight while using them. i was hypoglycemic because i had no appetite and would skip 2 or 3 meals. i could only sleep 3 or 4 hours at a time. i was irritable all of the time - very snippy which is so not me! i had to take increasing amounts to feel any effect at all - finally when i decided to stop i had horrible withdrawal headaches and nausea - these are all the same symptoms speedfreaks go through because ephedrine IS amphetamines .
no amount of caffeine or ephedrine even comes close to the energy i am feeling now. its so cliche but there is literally a spring in my step! this is after being practically bed ridden for a year.
what would be the purpose for taking these supplements while on atkins? just stay in induction- if youre doing it properly you burn fat at an amazing rate. ive never heard of any success stories of people taking diet pills. if you do a google search for any of these diet pills almost all of the links lead to sites about lawsuits
im sorry if i sound preachy but i feel so strongly about these dangerous pills - i was really damaged by my ignorance and now im on the road to reclaiming my health. wishing you the best of luck. . .
sim
here is info from the atkins site about this topic
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  #8   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 17:51
pcubie's Avatar
pcubie pcubie is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 85
 
Plan: atkins
Stats: 168/147/140 Female 5 feet 8 inches
BF:unknown
Progress: 75%
Location: columbia falls, montana
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i was wondering what you all thought about it as it seems like my health food store and regular grocery store are stocking up on a gazillion different brands of "diet" pills... right there with the atkins stuff. more than i've ever seen in years past. i haven't really read up on them and don't really think they even work, to be honest (taken by themselves without watching what you eat). and, they sure can give you some nasty side-effects like hilly's. it's even mentioned in the directions to discontinue if you get those kind of feelings, so you know it's possible.
i suppose it's probably best to stick to sensible eating, without drugs.
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  #9   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 17:54
use2bthin's Avatar
use2bthin use2bthin is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 150
 
Plan: South Beach
Stats: 184/164/140 Female 65 inches
BF:35%/27.4%/?%
Progress: 45%
Location: Omaha, NE
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I do agree with sim0ne that you should really stick to Induction if you want to lose weight. I've been without diet pills for a while. They are not right for everyone but, as noted before, be careful if you decide to take them. If that scares you, then don't take them, if not.....get tested by your doctor.
You're best going au natural, anyway.
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  #10   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 18:10
pcubie's Avatar
pcubie pcubie is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 85
 
Plan: atkins
Stats: 168/147/140 Female 5 feet 8 inches
BF:unknown
Progress: 75%
Location: columbia falls, montana
Default

simOne, don't apologize for preaching! that's exactly what i was looking for. i'm not taking pills, have no intention, but i'm sure there's others out there that may seek them out in the hopes of increasing the speed of their weight loss (UNHEALTHY), which is already pretty phenominal considering a person doesn't even need to lift a finger using the atkins method. less than 20g carbs a day is the sure way to go!
i too have a spring in my step...
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  #11   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 18:24
coolazchic's Avatar
coolazchic coolazchic is offline
New Member
Posts: 4,572
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 151/128/110 Female 5'1.5"
BF:Yes
Progress: 56%
Location: Tempe, Arizona
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I don't think it is good to mess with the body like that. Even pills that are approved come out with horrible side effects later on. Just look at what happened to Phen Phen. This WOE works and I think it is the best method.
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  #12   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 18:42
Lisa N's Avatar
Lisa N Lisa N is offline
Posts: 12,028
 
Plan: Bernstein Diabetes Soluti
Stats: 260/-/145 Female 5' 3"
BF:
Progress: 63%
Location: Michigan
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Quote:
Also, this kind of drug does not harm you if you are in good health. There is a whole slew of warnings on the bottle so you MUST follow directions. Those who have died had pre-existing conditions (heart problems....)


The problem (and caution) with this is that you can have a pre-existing heart condition and not know it until you take something like this and it triggers a major cardiac event.
My DH has a heart dysrhythmia and never knew it until he had an EKG as part of a normal pre-surgical workup. It's something that is completely asymptomatic, but could cause a major problem if he didn't know about it and took something like Ephedra.
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  #13   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 19:08
use2bthin's Avatar
use2bthin use2bthin is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 150
 
Plan: South Beach
Stats: 184/164/140 Female 65 inches
BF:35%/27.4%/?%
Progress: 45%
Location: Omaha, NE
Default

Just as with my milk protein allergy, I didn't know I had it until I was tested. There are many things out there that can harm you, and even kill you. This is why I say to get tested before taking anything (even starting an exercise plan, which most people don't). Many people don't have any side effects, but many people do. My GNC reps have all taken Hydroxycut and they are firmer than ever.
The problem with the lawsuits and complaints is that, like the daily news, people just don't report the good as much as they do the bad. Someone will complain about one mistake a person makes before they applaude a thousand good deeds. That is society. We like to complain.
At any rate....my point was that Hydroxycut worked for me. It may not work for everyone but if the statistics scare people, then they shouldn't use the pills. Because of what can happen, people are better off not using them, but just my personal opinion, and from experience, they can work if you use them properly.
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  #14   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 19:35
Sox Sox is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 94
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 185/136/140 Male 68
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: Madison Wisconsin
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I'm sorry but anything with "a few years back" needs to be disregarded. So much has changed since then. We now know ephedra is bad for you etc. A few years back how many of us were on atkins or thought that it would be ok? I'm young and want to slim up as effeciently as possible. I know I will never be able to go back eating all the crap that I did (even if it was low-cal/low-fat crap) and I'm OK with that. I've learned that no pill is a solve-all but that doesn't discredit that they don't work/help at all. Look at all the pills you take w/atkins and some of his advice contradicts itself too. Take Accell to overcome a stall (which has caffiene) but avoid caffeiene becuase it can cause a stall!

Personally, I woudlnt' take anything that you can't sleep on. Sleep is really important for me. "A few years back" I tried metobolife for about 3 days and after going nutz I canned the (expensive) bottle. This Universal Thermo Stack (which supposedly works for others) didn't even cause me a blink of unrest and I used to take it right before bed. However, this is the same person who used to drink Mt. Dew up the last second he was awake. *shrug*.

I got spammed w/hydroyxcut stuff from GNC and will probably try it. I'm having a hell of a time with these last few pounds and am a very impatient person. Just because I have a helper doesn't mean I'll change my eating habbits or my vigerous exercise program.

BTW, I can't go 15 mins listening to the radio without hearing a plug for Callogen or whatever at tophealthsource.com. Anyone know the scoop on this stuff? In Feb (When I decided I felt like changing my life) I was going to try this stuff and hope for the quick and easy approach. Looking at prices though I was like NO WAY. Reviewing how much I spent on Atkins now though Callogen is chump change.

Anyways, as with everything on this diet, YMMV.

L8r
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  #15   ^
Old Tue, Jun-10-03, 19:50
Sox Sox is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 94
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 185/136/140 Male 68
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: Madison Wisconsin
Default

BTW, Atkisn also suggest supplments like CoQ10 (CoEnzyme Q10) and L-Carnitine to stimulate weight loss.
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